A Speech by The Prime Minister The Right Honourable Winston Churchill in the House of Commons August 20th, 1940.

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few": First Appearance of Winston Churchill's Famous Speech

A Speech by The Prime Minister The Right Honourable Winston Churchill in the House of Commons August 20th, 1940.

Churchill, Winston.

Item Number: 43677

London: His Majesty's Stationary Office, The Baynard Press, 1940.

First edition of one of Winston Churchill’s most famous speeches. Octavo, original gray wrappers. In very good condition.

Churchill apparently first used his famous words upon his exit from the Battle of Britain Bunker at RAF Uxbridge on 16 August when visiting the No. 11 Group RAF Operations Room during a day of battle. Afterwards, Churchill told Major General Hastings Ismay, 'Don't speak to me, I have never been so moved'. After several minutes of silence he said, 'Never in the history of mankind has so much been owed by so many to so few'. The sentence would form the basis of his speech to the House of Commons on 20 August. "Never was so much owed by so many to so few" was a wartime speech made by the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on 20 August 1940. The name stems from the specific line in the speech, Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few, referring to the ongoing efforts of the Royal Air Force crews who were at the time fighting the Battle of Britain, the pivotal air battle with the German Luftwaffe with Britain expecting an invasion.

First editions of each volume. Octavo, 4 volumes, original cloth, with hundreds of maps and plans (many folding), plates and document facsimiles, top edge gilt. Volume 3 is inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper in the year of publication, “Hailsham from Winston October 1936.” The recipient, Douglas McGarel Hogg, 1st Viscount Hailsham, PC was a British lawyer and Conservative politician who twice served as Lord Chancellor, in addition to a number of other Cabinet positions. On March 29, 1928, Hogg became Lord Chancellor in Stanley Baldwin’s government, succeeding to the Viscount Cave, and in April was created Baron Hailsham, of Hailsham in the County of Sussex. His elevation to the peerage barred him from the premiership, and would later interfere with the political ambitions of his elder son, Quintin Hogg, who was said to have stood in Christ Church’s Peckwater Quad to cry in frustration. He held the Great Seal until the government’s defeat in 1929. In that year’s Birthday Honours he was created Viscount Hailsham, of Hailsham in the County of Sussex. Between 1930 and 1931 Hailsham was the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords. During that period, he was spoken of as Baldwin’s potential successor. He was passed over for the Lord Chancellorship in the National Government of August–October 1931, and refused to join it as Lord Privy Seal. After the October 1931 elections he joined the second National Government as Secretary of State for War and Leader of the House of Lords. In 1935, Hailsham returned to the Lord Chancellorship, first under Baldwin, then under Neville Chamberlain. During his second term, he was the last Lord High Steward to preside over the trial of a peer (the 26th Baron de Clifford) in the House of Lords. Fine in the original dust jackets which are in very good to near fine condition. A very nice association.

Guest book page signed by Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill and his wife, Clementine Churchill. Additionally signed by Prime Minister Anthony Eden and his first wife Beatrice Beckett, Mary Spenser-Churchill (the youngest of the five Churchill children), and Walter Kirke, the Commander in Chief of the British Home Forces during the Second World War. The signatures were obtained at an ice hockey match in which all six were in attendance at the Empire Pool and Sports Arena in London on Februray 24th 1940. Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 17 inches by 24 inches. Rare and desirable signed by the Churchill’s and Anthony Eden.

Price: $6,000.00

First edition of Churchill’s fifth book, a continuation of his coverage of the Boer War which he began in London to Ladysmith via Pretoria. Octavo, original red cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, engraved frontispiece portrait of Ian Hamilton, folding map in color and 4 pages of advertisements for Churchill’s works at rear. In very good condition with light foxing to the page edges. Housed in a custom quarter morocco clamshell box.

London: Library of Imperial History In association With Charles Scribner's Sons and The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, 1973-76.

Centenary limited edition of Sir Winston S. Churchill’s collected works, inscribed by both his wife and youngest daughter in the year of the centenary of his birth to the winner of the 1974 C & G Gimcrack Horse Race at that very race. Octavos, 34 volumes bound in the original full vellum with gilt titles and gilt-stamped Churchill coat of arms to the spines and front panels, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers. Each volume housed in the original dark green slipcase which is also gilt-stamped with the Churchill coat of arms. One of only 3,000 sets produced, this is number 143. Volume I, which contains My Early Life and My African Journey is inscribed by The Baroness Clementine Churchill opposite her preface, “Inscribed by Clementine Spencer Churchill” as well as her youngest daughter Mary, “presented by her youngest daughter Mary Soames, “and presented by her daughter to Mr. Ravi Tikkoo at York Races August the 22nd 1974.” The inscribed volume is housed in a custom oak and vellum clamshell box with ornate claw feet, velvet lining, and gold plaque which reads, C and G Gimcrack Stakes 1974 Presented to Mr. Ravi Tikkoo Owner of Steel Heart (Habitat – A. I. by Abernant) Winner of the C & G Gimcrack Stakes 1974, by Lady Soames in the Centenary Year of the Birth of Her Father Sir Winston Churchill.” In excellent condition. A brilliant set with exceptional provenance.

First editions of Winston Churchill’s masterpiece. Octavo, six volumes. Bound in three-quarters green morocco, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, with the rampant lion in gilt on the spines, top edge gilt, maps present. In fine condition.

First edition of Winston S. Churchill’s biography of his father. Octavo, 2 volumes, original cloth, with two photographic frontispiece portraits of Lord Randolph. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper in both volumes, “Inscribed for G.S. Harvie-Watt by Winston Churchill 1943.” The recipient, Harvie-Pratt was a conservative politician who served as parliamentary private secretary to Winston Churchill from 1941-1945. At the end of World War II, he became a Queen’s Counsel and was created a baronet. In 1948 he became an aide-de-camp to George VI; on the king’s death, he filled the same position for Elizabeth II, also acting as a member of the Queen’s Body Guard for Scotland. In very good condition with rubbing and wear to the extremities. Remarkable association copies.

First editions of Winston S. Churchill’s biography of his father. Octavo, 2 volumes, original cloth bound, gilt titles to the spine, gilt armorial shield to the front panel, engraved frontispiece portrait of Sir Randolph Churchill after a photograph by Mackintosh to Volume I, engraved frontispiece portrait of Sir Randolph Churchill after a photograph by Russell and Sons to Volume II, illustrated. In very good condition, bookplate. A nice example.

First edition of this collection of fifty-two speeches delivered between 1947 and 1948. Octavo, bound in three quarters blue morocco by Sangorski and Sutcliffe with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers. Edited by Randolph S. Churchill. In near fine condition.

First editions of Churchill’s World War II masterpiece. Octavo, six volumes, original black cloth, patterned endpapers, illustrated with plates and maps (many of which are folding); charts and tables. Each are near fine in very good to near fine dust jackets.

Rare original Cartier-printed program from the dinner held in honor of Winston S. Churchill at the Waldorf Astoria on Friday, March 15th 1946. Quarto, gilt embossed coat of arms of the United Kingdom to the front panel, the first page features a full-page photogravure of Canadian photographer Yousef Karsh’s iconic portrait of Churchill, “The Roaring Lion” which in May 1945 was featured on the cover of Life magazine. Signed by Churchill beneath his famous likeness, “Winston S. Churchill.” In 1941, after Churchill’s address to the Canadian Parliament, Karsh had but a moment to photograph him and daringly removed the cigar from Churchill’s mouth, memorializing the staunch leader’s stern expression with the image he captured at that very moment. Churchill later said to Karsh, “You can even make a roaring lion stand still to be photographed,” which led Karsh to name the portrait “The Roaring Lion.” Containing two excerpts from two of Churchill’s most memorable speeches: his first speech as Prime Minister and his June 4th 1940 speech following the evacuation of Dunkirk. In fine condition. Rare and desirable, signed only ten days after Churchill delivered his famous ‘Iron Curtain Speech’ in Fulton, Missouri declaring: “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere.” In fine condition.

Price: $9,800.00

Portrait of the seated Winston Churchill taken in 1920 by Edward Russell of Russell and Sons, boldly signed “Winston S. Churchill, 1921.” In February 1921, Churchill was appointed by Prime Minister David Lloyd George as Secretary of State for the Colonies, during which time he was a signatory to the Anglo-Irish Treaty that established the Irish Free State. Double matted and framed. The photograph measures 21 inches by 17 inches. The entire piece measures 13.5 inches by 11.25 inches. A very nice presentation.

First British editions of Churchill’s important history of World War I. Octavo, six volumes, original blue cloth. Illustrated throughout with maps and charts. Errata slips to volumes I and IV present. In near fine condition. Name to the front free endpaper.

Price: $1,800.00

One page typed letter signed by Winston S. Churchill as Minister of Munitions of War. One page, dated January 1918 and addressed to Lieutenant-Colonel Sir James Forrest Halkett Carmichael, the letter reads, “My Dear Sir” I have had much pleasure in recommending to the Prime Minister that you should be appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and I am glad to learn that His Majesty has approved the recommendation. Pray accept my hearty congratulations on this recognition of your valuable services. “Yours very truly Winston S. Churchill.” With the official seal of the Ministry of Munitions of War emblem stamped at the head of the page. In near fine condition. Double matted and framed with a portrait of a young Churchill. The entire piece measures 25 inches by 14 inches.

One page typed letter signed by Winston S. Churchill, dated 22 January 1950, on his “28 Hyde Park Gate, London” letterhead stationery. The letter is written to Andre de Staercke, a contributing editor to his war memoirs, regarding the upcoming release of the third volume. With a handwritten opening and closing. Churchill writes in part, “My dear Andre, Thank you so much for your letter of December 31, I am certainly inserting a passage at once in Volume III to cover the important point you mention. I am obliged to you for drawing my attention to it. Please convey my thanks to His Royal Highness for his kind message. My thoughts are so often with him in these very strained and difficult times for him and for Belgium. As you will have seen I have had to curtail my stay in Madeira in view of the General Election here. Polling Day has been fixed for February 25 and so you can imagine we shall be much occupied for the coming weeks. We all send you our good wishes for a very happy New Year. your friend, Winston S. Churchill.” At the time this letter was written, Belgium was gearing up for a national referendum on the question of whether to allow King Leopold III to return from exile in Switzerland. Churchill himself faced an important national election, in which he won (though his party did not), remaining Leader of the Opposition. In 1951, he was again elected Prime Minister. In near fine condition. Double matted and framed with a portrait of Churchill. The entire piece measures 21 inches by 12.75 inches.

First editions of Winston Churchill’s masterpiece. Octavo, six volumes. Bound in three-quarters green morocco, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, red morocco spine label, with the rampant lion in gilt on the spines, top edge gilt, maps present. In fine condition.

First editions of each volume of this important biography. Octavo, 4 volumes, bound in full morocco by Sangorski and Sutcliffe, Marlborough armorial crests stamped in gilt on the front panels of each volume, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands, gilt-ruled dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, with hundreds of maps and plans (many folding), plates and document facsimiles. In fine condition.

First British editions of each of the four volumes of this set. Octavo, 4 volumes, finely bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands. In near fine condition. A very sharp set.

Price: $1,400.00

Black and White Rotary Photograph of Winston Churchill, while he was the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. Boldly Signed “Winston S. Churchill.” Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 13.5 inches by 11.25 inches. A very handsome presentation.

First British editions of Churchill’s important history of World War I. Octavo, six volumes, original bound in three quarters leather over boards, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands. Illustrated throughout with maps and charts. In very good condition.

London: Library of Imperial History In association With Charles Scribner's Sons and The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, 1973-76.

Centenary limited edition of Churchill’s Complete Works, one of only 3000 sets produced. Octavo, original full vellum, 38 volumes. Boards gilt-stamped with the Churchill arms, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, original dark green slipcases, also gilt-stamped with the Churchill coat of arms. In fine condition in the fine original slipcases. An exceptional set.

Original black and white photograph of Winston S. Churchill inscribed by him and accompanied by an exceptionally rare unsmoked Winston S. Churchill brand La Corona Cigar with the original box. The mounted photograph measures 7 inches by 5 inches and is inscribed by Churchill, “For Mrs. Dorgan, Winston S, Churchill 1950.” The recipient, Mary Dorgan was the Churchill’s governess through the 1940s and into the 1950s. The cigar measures 7.5 inches in length and bears the original red and gold “La Corona Winston S. Churchill Habana” label. The entire piece measures 19 inches by 19 inches. Unsmoked Winston Churchill cigars alone are exceptionally rare, this, a personal gift from Churchill to his governess is of the utmost rarity.

First edition of this illustrated compendium of excerpts from Winston S. Churchill’s famed wartime speeches. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers as issued, each spread features a black and white photograph of Churchill accompanied by a quote from his WWII speeches and broadcasts. In near fine condition.

First edition of this collection of war speeches by Winston Churchill. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece of Churchill by Cecil Beaton. Signed by the author in the year of publication, “Inscribed by Winston S. Churchill February 1941.” Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Compiled by Randolph S. Churchill.

First edition of one of the best-selling golf books of all-time. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by Ben Hogan on the front free endpaper. Fine in a very good dust jacket. Illustrated by Anthony Ravielli. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed.

First editions of each volume in the author’s acclaimed biography on J.M. Keynes. Octavo, 3 volumes, original cloth, illustrated. Inscribed by the author in each volume. Each are near fine with the dust jackets that show only light wear.

First edition of Plimpton’s classic work on golf. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author, “For Great Max another wild effusion- George.” The recipient was Max Steele, who along with Plimpton started The Paris Review. Additionally inscribed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus on the front free endpaper to the same recipient, Max Steele. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Robert Korn. A unique example.

First edition of the only book by Jesse Livermore, one of Wall Street’s most well-known traders. Octavo, original blue cloth, contains 16 full color charts. Fine in the rare original dust jacket with some chips and tears. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.